Hillcrest football coach Scott Martin takes job at Ohatchee

Scott Martin

Hillcrest coach Scott Martin talks into his headset on the sidelines during the 1st quarter against Hueytown Friday, Sept. 20, 2013 at Hillcrest High School. (Kelly Lambert/The Tuscaloosa News)

Tuscaloosa News

By Andrew CarrollSports Writer

Published: Friday, January 24, 2014 at 1:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 24, 2014 at 1:03 p.m.

Scott Martin, who coached the Hillcrest High School Patriots to two straight Class 6A playoff appearances, has accepted the challenge of rebuilding Ohatchee's football program.

Martin's hiring was approved Thursday by the Calhoun County Board of Education.

Martin, 51, guided Hillcrest to a 7-4 record in 2012. The Patriots went 5-6 last season. One of his players, senior linebacker Keith Holcombe, was a finalist for Class 6A Lineman of the Year and has committed to the University of Alabama.

Martin was a head coach at Calera, and he has coaching experience in Louisiana.

Ohatchee, a Class 2A school, went 1-9 in 2013 and hasn't had a winning season since 2003 (6-5).

"It's a monumental challenge, but it's one that kind of recharges the battery and gets you fired up to go to work," Martin said. "I took the Hillcrest job not knowing how much money I was going to make. I got quite a nice raise to go to Ohatchee, but it's not about the money. I took the job for the right reasons. I took it to rebuild another program."

Ohatchee moves up to Class 3A this year under the AHSAA's reclassification system. Ohatchee won the Class 1A championship in 1977.

"We had two great years at Hillcrest," Martin said. "I don't regret anything that's gone on there. We had a great group of kids, a great group of coaches and a great group of administrators.

"Life is a puzzle, and you're trying to fit all the pieces together. Not only do they involve your job but they also involve your personal life. I want to live in East Alabama. I have family ties and friends I need to be close to. At the same time, I wasn't going to leave Hillcrest just to go get a job in East Alabama. I thought it was a good fit. I saw the promise and potential in it."

"You always like to run the ball, and you want to be physical," Martin said. "You can do a lot of different things, but it's always going to be based on the type of talent you have. You have to be able to adjust your offensive and defensive mentalities and your sets to what your kids do best."

Calera made the playoffs for seven straight years before Martin arrived. He continued the streak as his teams advanced to the first round of the Class 4A playoffs in 2009 and 2010. At Hillcrest, he replaced Adam Winegarden, who coached Hillcrest to a 9-2 record in 2010 and a 12-2 record in 2011. Martin said he experienced "rebuilding" programs when he coached in Louisiana.

"It's not just about wins and losses," Martin said. "It's about character education. When these young men leave football, I want them to be able to take something away from it for later in life."

A native of Louisiana, Martin played college football at Northeast Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Monroe. When he left in 1985, he was the school's all-time leading scorer as a kicker. Martin said he has been coaching for 29 years, including one season as a graduate assistant.

Martin said he plans to fulfill his obligations at Hillcrest, but hopes to be able to conduct spring practice at Ohatchee.

Jeff Hinton, Hillcrest's athletic director, said the job vacancy will be posted Monday, but he is already receiving inquiries about the position. The posting will last about two weeks, and Hinton said he would like to have a new football coach in place to conduct spring training. The new coach will have to be approved by the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education.

"There's always a lot of interest any time you have a 6A job come open," Hinton said. "I think it's an attractive job because of the history and tradition we have here and the facilities. We have a few things that are outdated, but we're in the process of trying to update and upgrade.

"For the two years Coach Martin was here, he was very dedicated to the program. He loved the kids, and he always tried to do the little things right and build that rapport with the kids and the families. It's unfortunate that he's leaving, but it's just one of those things. We wish him nothing but the best as he moves on to Ohatchee."

Reach Andrew Carroll at andrew.carroll@andrew.carroll@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0223.

<p>Scott Martin, who coached the Hillcrest High School Patriots to two straight Class 6A playoff appearances, has accepted the challenge of rebuilding Ohatchee's football program.</p><p>Martin's hiring was approved Thursday by the Calhoun County Board of Education.</p><p>Martin, 51, guided Hillcrest to a 7-4 record in 2012. The Patriots went 5-6 last season. One of his players, senior linebacker Keith Holcombe, was a finalist for Class 6A Lineman of the Year and has committed to the University of Alabama.</p><p>Martin was a head coach at Calera, and he has coaching experience in Louisiana.</p><p>Ohatchee, a Class 2A school, went 1-9 in 2013 and hasn't had a winning season since 2003 (6-5).</p><p>"It's a monumental challenge, but it's one that kind of recharges the battery and gets you fired up to go to work," Martin said. "I took the Hillcrest job not knowing how much money I was going to make. I got quite a nice raise to go to Ohatchee, but it's not about the money. I took the job for the right reasons. I took it to rebuild another program."</p><p>Ohatchee moves up to Class 3A this year under the AHSAA's reclassification system. Ohatchee won the Class 1A championship in 1977.</p><p>"We had two great years at Hillcrest," Martin said. "I don't regret anything that's gone on there. We had a great group of kids, a great group of coaches and a great group of administrators.</p><p>"Life is a puzzle, and you're trying to fit all the pieces together. Not only do they involve your job but they also involve your personal life. I want to live in East Alabama. I have family ties and friends I need to be close to. At the same time, I wasn't going to leave Hillcrest just to go get a job in East Alabama. I thought it was a good fit. I saw the promise and potential in it."</p><p>In Martin's offense, senior quarterback Riley Nix rushed for 504 yards and seven touchdowns and threw for 2,057 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.</p><p>"You always like to run the ball, and you want to be physical," Martin said. "You can do a lot of different things, but it's always going to be based on the type of talent you have. You have to be able to adjust your offensive and defensive mentalities and your sets to what your kids do best."</p><p>Calera made the playoffs for seven straight years before Martin arrived. He continued the streak as his teams advanced to the first round of the Class 4A playoffs in 2009 and 2010. At Hillcrest, he replaced Adam Winegarden, who coached Hillcrest to a 9-2 record in 2010 and a 12-2 record in 2011. Martin said he experienced "rebuilding" programs when he coached in Louisiana.</p><p>"It's not just about wins and losses," Martin said. "It's about character education. When these young men leave football, I want them to be able to take something away from it for later in life."</p><p>A native of Louisiana, Martin played college football at Northeast Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Monroe. When he left in 1985, he was the school's all-time leading scorer as a kicker. Martin said he has been coaching for 29 years, including one season as a graduate assistant.</p><p>Martin said he plans to fulfill his obligations at Hillcrest, but hopes to be able to conduct spring practice at Ohatchee.</p><p>Jeff Hinton, Hillcrest's athletic director, said the job vacancy will be posted Monday, but he is already receiving inquiries about the position. The posting will last about two weeks, and Hinton said he would like to have a new football coach in place to conduct spring training. The new coach will have to be approved by the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education.</p><p>"There's always a lot of interest any time you have a 6A job come open," Hinton said. "I think it's an attractive job because of the history and tradition we have here and the facilities. We have a few things that are outdated, but we're in the process of trying to update and upgrade.</p><p>"For the two years Coach Martin was here, he was very dedicated to the program. He loved the kids, and he always tried to do the little things right and build that rapport with the kids and the families. It's unfortunate that he's leaving, but it's just one of those things. We wish him nothing but the best as he moves on to Ohatchee."</p><p> </p><p><i>Reach Andrew Carroll at andrew.carroll@andrew.carroll@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0223.</i></p>